The Irish standard., 1887-09-03


up in non-C Catholics institu lions, or
among Catholics ignorant of the true
nature, scope, and exercise of the au-
thority of the Holy See, or among native
American non.C Catholis, prejudiced from
their childhood against the Church Of
Rome, originates in one common source
absolute ignorance and misconceptiOn
of the Papal power and Jurisdiction.
No Pontiff among all the successors
of St. Peter has more clearly defined
than Leo XIII. the respective spheres
of Church and State; the supremacy,
sovereignty, and independence OF each
of the two powers-civil and ecclesiasti-
cal-within It's own sphere, as we'll as
the necessity and obligation for both
societies, deriving as they do their origin
and authority from God, to cooperate
with each other in forwarding the well
fare, spiritual and temporal, of their
subjects.
The doctrine of the Church on the
mutual relations of both powers is laid
down in the Encyclical lmmortale Del
on 'sthe christian Constitution of
States," published November l, 1886.
No lawyer, no statesman, no theologian,
no scholar or educated man can calmly
or without prejudice peruse that docu-
ment without being convinced that Leo
XIII. did therein what no one inmodern
or in past times had done with such au-
thority and luminousness-laid down
the law of life for Christian society, for
all Christian States, no matter what
their name or their form of government.
He is not the man to transgress the
bounds which he so authoritatively as
signs to the jurisdiction Of the Church
or to the actions of her Pontiffs in deal
ing with States or in regulating therein
the conduct of Christians. He is too
experienced aud too clever diplomat
to risk or compromise the authority and
influence of the Church by the exercise
of questionable interference with
citizens.
The programme of policy which he
lays down for Cardinal Rampolla on
June Is, 1887, differs only from that ad-
dressed to Cardinal Nina on August q,
1878, in this-that the sovereign Pontif
now opens up the whole Roman ques-
tion by formally demanding of Italy, as
the basis of settlement of the difficulty
between her: as at present constituted,
and the Holy See, the restoration OF the
Pope's territorial sovereignty. In Au-
gust, 1873, Leo XIII. could only express
the hope that his efforts toward obtain
ing better conditions for the Church in
Catholic and Catholic countries
would be blessed with success; in June,
1887, he gladly announces that these
hopes have been fulfilled. On both o.
casions he sketches the same lines OF
Christian policy which he intended to
follow in addressing himselft to all rulers
and nations.
In order to remove prejudice and to
correct or prevent misconception about
this scarecrow of Leo KILLS imperial
ism,'' or intervention in the public af-
fairs of countries, it will suffice to point
out what the chief purpose of his Gov
ernment is in dealing with the peoples
OF Christendonl. as we'll as with nom
Christian powers like Turkey, Persia,
China and Japan.
''In the midst of the weighty cares OF
which the formidable burden of the
Pontifcate has ever been and is still the
source to u.s. he writes to Cardinal
Rompolla, 1--WE have derived no little
comfort from the persuasion that the
Church is rich in that virtue which not
only avails for the eternal salvation OF
souls-its true and proper work-butfo for
the salvation as we'll Of the whole OF
human society.
"Indeed, from the beginning it has
been our aim to labor constantly to re-
pair the evils caused to the Church by
the revolution and by impiety, while at
the same time endeavoring to cause that
same divine virtue to be felt by the en-
tire human family in it's extreme need
thereof.
ssAnd ilasmuch as our enemies en-
ploy to-day, as they have done for
long time in the past, every means to
strip the Church of all social influence
and to estrange from .her both peoples
and governments, to whom they have
done their best by all manner of arti-
fees to render her suspect, and to have
her looked upon as an enemy; so, we on
our side, have held her up for what she
truly is, the best friend and benefac-
tress both of rulers and Of peoples.
With these we have studied to recon-
cile her, by renewing and drawing ever
closer the bonds of intercourse between
the Holy See and the different nations,
and by everywhere restoring religious
peace.'' Such is Leo Kills policy;
such has been from the very first days
of his reign the animating and control
ling principle Of his government OF the
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